Chelsea: Enzo Maresca points finger at Club World Cup as injuries continue to pile up | OneFootball

The Blues rested some key players as they were held by Qarabag in the Champions League

At the helm: Enzo Maresca is standing by his methods

Enzo Maresca said he is still dealing with the knock-on effects of the Club World Cup after his much-changed Chelsea side were held to a 2-2 draw by Qarabag on Wednesday night.

Chelsea’s summer Club World Cup triumph seemed a landmark moment for the Blues, but it left them on the back foot for the new campaign.

The Blues had just 26 days off between the Club World Cup final and their first pre-season outing. The truncated off-season has led to an apparent increase in long-term injuries, with Levi Colwill, Liam Delap, and Dario Essugo all spending months on the sidelines.

Misery compounded on Wednesday night as Romeo Lavia, who has struggled to stay fit since signing for Chelsea in 2023, suffered a new quad injury just five minutes into the Qarabag match.

Maresca made six changes to face Qarabag, resting Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo as the Blues were held to a frustrating draw.

Asked why he insisted on such regular rotation, Maresca again pointed the finger at the Club World Cup, but added his changes are only criticised when Chelsea fail to win.

He said: “Yeah, I think I've tried to explain already many times. We have players, the intention tonight was to rest Enzo [Fernandez], to rest Moises [Caicedo], to rest Malo [Gusto], to rest more players, because they are not able to play every three days.

“They need recovery from last season. As you said, the Club World Cup affects a lot.

“We try to rotate. When you win, no one mentions all that. I know that when we don't win, everyone is focused on that and now I think it's important to recover energy for Saturday and go again.”

Caicedo’s rest was cut short as he was brought on to replace the stricken Lavia and completed the rest of the match. With two of his understudies in Essugo and Lavia now ruled out for the foreseeable, his workload is likely to increase further.